Crucial Council Vote On Feb. 27 to Save ‘Iconic’ Farmland

Published February 23rd, 2024 at 8:07 am

Finally, the opportunity may have come for Corrales to preserve 12 acres of prime farmland from development after it had eluded the Farmland Preservation and Agricultural Commission for some 20 years.

Using general obligation bonds already authorized by Corrales voters, the Village Council is expected to decide at its February 27 meeting whether to go ahead and issue those municipal bonds now, rather than wait another two years.

After a closed session at that council meeting to clarify conditions under which that scenic acreage at the north end of the village could be brought under a conservation easement, the council is expected to decide whether to issue up to $2 million of GO bonds for that tract or other parcels, or to hold off on that and instead sell bonds to pay for projects proposed by the Public Works Department and the Fire Department.

At the February 13 council meeting, several councilors echoed the urgency expressed by Farmland Commission Co-chair Lisa Brown who said the expansive tract east of Corrales Road has been eyed as “the crown jewel” of the farmland preservation effort since 2004. “When we passed the first farmland bonds in 2004, we were alarmed at the demand for development on our farmland,” Brown recalled for the mayor and council. “But that farmland that we think of as iconic still has not been preserved although we have had our eyes on it since 2004. And the voters had their eyes on it when they approved the first bonds.”

Villagers overwhelmingly approved issuance of $2.5 million in bonds for the conservation easement program that year, establishing the first municipal program in New Mexico aimed at saving farmland from residential development. That success was followed by voter approval of another $2.5 million for that purpose in 2018. Using those earlier bonds, around 70 acres here have been saved in perpetuity for agriculture. Last year, voters stepped up again to approve yet another GO bond sale, this time for $2 million.

Village officials typically sell authorized bonds every two years, so that property tax rates remain steady.  That means the council needs to decide at the February 27 meeting whether to issue the bonds intended for farmland preservation this spring, or issue the bonds intended for Public Works and Fire Department now and wait until 2026 to sell the ones that would buy an easement on the “iconic” tract at the north end.

Brown, Mayor Jim Fahey and councilors were careful not to identify explicitly which tract that is, since negotiations are continuing. As always the Farmland Commission does not disclose which properties are under active consideration for conservation easements to avoid attracting competing offers from developers. Those details will be the topic for the council’s closed session near the end of the February  27 meeting.

But Village Administrator Ron Curry and Mayor Fahey cautioned that it may not be advisable to move ahead now to acquire an easement on the long-sought tract at this time, implying that the owner may attach unacceptable conditions to the sale terms or how the land could be used in the future.  At the February 13 meeting Curry voiced his concerns, saying “There needs to be some discussion about that particular piece of property. There are some questions that need to be answered.” Clarification on those uncertainties is the reason for closed door discussion near the end of the February 27 council meeting.

Neither Curry nor the mayor provided any clues what a hang-up might be, although Brown earlier explained that the owner has yet to complete acquisition of all 12 acres.  Six are already in its possession and sale closure on another six are expected in April, Brown said. She reported the farmland commission some time back had concluded that the original owner would not agree to having a conservation easement on the land. “The property is now in different ownership, and I’m happy to say that we are in talks that we could potentially save all of that farmland with the $2 million bond,” Brown explained. “It needs to happen now. But if for some reason that didn’t happen, we are in active conversation with other landowners,” she added.

All councilors seemed to favor moving quickly to sell the farmland bonds, although none more than Councillor Zack Burkett. “My inclination is to do at least a million and a half, if not more, for farmland, because  that’s the stuff that’s disappearing, and that’s the thing that has no other funding source. I would hate to find ourselves in the situation where we can buy the crown jewel for the crown” but it was no longer available.

“Two things are happening,” Burkett continued. “One is that that land (referring to Corrales farmland in general) is going away, and two, the value of that land is going up. Both of those things are adversarial to holding off” on issuing farmland bonds now, rather than waiting two years.

No similar sense of urgency was expressed for issuing already approved GO bonds for Public Works projects or Fire Department projects. Public Works Director Mike Chavez said at the February 13 council meeting that, if sold now, the bond proceeds would be used as matching funds for future appropriations for drainage improvements such as correcting problems along Sereno Road.

Fire Chief Anthony Martinez said those bonds, if issued now, would be used for fire protection, including construction and equipping another fire-rescue substation.

Brown said she appreciated Burkett’s understanding about the need for action now “before the land is covered over in houses.”

In his website “Mayor’s Message” February 16, Fahey said he preferred holding off on the farmland bonds and instead issuing $1 million for Public Works and $1 million for the Fire Department this spring. He explained that those projects are ready to go now, whereas “in two years we could sell the remaining $2 million for open space that has been identified but is not ready for purchase at this time. The administration’s interest is on park expansion and green belt with some walking paths and parking areas thrown in.

“All decisions regarding which projects will be funded first will be made when the council is out of the closed session. Express your desires to your councilors,” the mayor advised.

Brown said whether or not the “crown jewel” property with 12 acres of highly scenic quality east of Corrales Road is ready for a conservation easement at this moment, other desirable farmland tracts at the north end are. “Interested landowners are ready to move forward. It is urgent that we complete these easements now, as development pressure and land prices are again on the rise. Agricultural landowners’ ability to ‘sell’ their development rights may make the difference between sustaining their farms through dry years or otherwise selling their land to developers.”